Kohli, Buttler advance in ICC Men’s T20I player ratings

India captain Virat Kohli is back in the top 5 of the ICC Men’s T20I player rankings. Image: BCCI

Xtra Time Web Desk: Team India captain Virat Kohli and England wicketkeeper batsman Jos Buttler are the biggest gainers in ICC T20I players ratings. In the latest list released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) Kohli has moved back into the top five and England’s Jos Buttler has re-entered the top 20 of the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings after blistering performances in their ongoing five-match series in Ahmedabad which England lead 2-1.

Kohli, a formerly top-ranked batsman in the format and currently number one in ODIs, has gained one slot and a massive 47 rating points after unbeaten knocks of 73 and 77 in the second and third matches while Buttler’s match-winning 83 not out in the third match has helped him advance five places to 19th position, just two shy of his career-best 17th position attained in October 2018.

Jonny Bairstow, who chipped in with 40 runs and was associated in an unbroken 77-run stand with Buttler in the eight-wicket win on Tuesday, has moved up two slots to 14th position in the list led by his compatriot Dawid Malan. Jason Roy has advanced four slots to 24th with scores of 49 and 46 in the first two matches.

Fast bowlers Jofra Archer (up 43 places to 34th) and Mark Wood (up 59 places to 39th), as well as left-arm seam bowler Sam Curran (up 41 places to 74th) have gained in the weekly update for men, carried out on Wednesdays.

For India, Shreyas Iyer (up 32 places to 31st) and Rishabh Pant (up 30 places to 80th) have gained among batsmen while all-rounder Washington Sundar (up two places to 11th) and seam bowlers Shardul Thakur (up 14 places to 27th) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (up seven places to 45th) have moved up the list for bowlers.